Rubio sees ‘much different’ future for Cuba

Washington, August 12 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he is confident Cuba will be placed on an “irreversible path” towards a different future before the Trump administration leaves office, describing change on the communist-ruled island as a US national interest.

“I am confident that Cuba, by the time this administration’s over, before this administration ends, will be on an irreversible path towards a much different future,” Rubio said in an interview with The Katie Miller Podcast released by the State Department on Tuesday.

Rubio, a Cuban American who has long advocated a hard line against Havana, cautioned that any transformation would require time. He compared the process with political changes in Eastern Europe after decades of communist rule.

“You can’t have something in place for 70 years, it grows roots, and then think overnight you’re just going to rip out the whole thing and put something brand-new into the ground,” he said.

“There’s a transition that has to happen and a process to get there. Eastern Europe is instructive of that. You saw it took countries in Eastern Europe three to five years to truly become what we know them to be today. Poland is probably the best example.”

Rubio did not outline specific steps the administration planned to take against Cuba. He said, however, that the issue remained a priority because of its implications for the United States.

“So I think Cuba will be on that path, well along that path. It has to be,” he said. “But certainly under this administration, given the priority it’s given Cuba, I like, you never guarantee anything, but it’s certainly a priority for us because it’s in our national interest.”

Rubio acknowledged his personal connection with Cuba but said his approach was rooted in his responsibilities as America’s top diplomat.

“I care about Cuba, obviously I have a personal connection to it, but I don’t work for Cuba; I work for the United States,” he said.

“And I believe it’s in the national interest of our country to have a Cuba that’s safe and stable and aligned with the US – the same feeling I have about Venezuela as well.”

During the interview, Rubio also said he speaks with President Donald Trump several times each day. “Every day. Multiple times,” he said. Rubio recalled receiving calls from Trump shortly after 2 a.m. and as early as just after 6 a.m.

–IANS

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